Republicans

“President Trump’s rhetoric I think went way too far over the line. I think it was both reckless and irresponsible, because he said repeatedly, he said over and over, he won by a landslide, there was massive fraud, it was all stolen everywhere.” “That evidence — the campaign did not prove that in any court, and to make a determination …

The Baltimore Sun reports: A pair of high-profile political figures of opposite parties — Republican Michael Steele and Democrat Tom Perez — say they are considering running for Maryland governor in 2022. Steele, the former lieutenant governor who is now an MSNBC commentator, said he will seriously consider a campaign to succeed two-term Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who cannot run …

Gizmodo reports: As police struggled futilely to fend off a wave of rioters outside the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, Joel Valdez, an aide to Congressman Matt Gaetz, made his way to the rooftop of his boss’s office building across the street on Independence Ave. Surveying the mob as it surrounded the complex, he captured a five-second video with …

NPR reports: In the week from Jan. 6 through Jan. 12, about 4,600 Republicans changed their party status in Colorado, according to a CPR News analysis. There was no comparable effect with any other party. CPR News was able to contact dozens of them by tracking changes in the state’s voter file. The number of people changing parties spiked immediately …

The New York Times reports: When pressed, Ms. McDaniel said that some G.O.P. resolutions and statements needed to be disavowed, citing Oregon’s false flag resolution. “I know our state party chairs are doing the best they can to represent their voters, but that statement goes too far,” she said. And she expressed regret about letting Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former …

Reuters reports: Dozens of Republicans in former President George W. Bush’s administration are leaving the party, dismayed by a failure of many elected Republicans to disown Donald Trump after his false claims of election fraud sparked a deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol last month. These officials, some who served in the highest echelons of the Bush administration, said they …

The Washington Post reports: Stacey Abrams has yet to formally announce whether she will seek a rematch next year against Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, but allies of the Republican incumbent on Monday launched a new outside group aimed at reining in her ambitions. Leaders of the new independent committee, known as “Stop Stacey,” describe it as “a national, grassroots organization …

Politico reports: The House Republican Conference will huddle in person on Wednesday morning to debate the future of GOP Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, who voted on Jan. 13 to impeach President Donald Trump. A group of hard-line conservatives is leading a charge to oust Cheney from leadership, and says it has commitments from more than …

The Washington Post reports: Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), one of 10 Republicans to vote to impeach Donald Trump earlier this month, has launched a new leadership political action committee that is designed to become a financial engine to challenge the former president’s wing of the GOP caucus and stand up against a leadership team still aligned with him. Kinzinger, a …

Mediaite reports: There’s a lot of scrutiny on whether the GOP will do anything in response to recent reporting on staggering, insane conspiracy theories pushed for years, including incendiary comments about school shootings and posts about executing Democratic leaders. Kevin McCarthy is apparently going to be talking to Greene this week, but as Wallace observed, “You’ve got a situation right …

“I have said with regard to the president’s comments that day that they were partly responsible for what happened, for the horrible violence that occurred on Capitol Hill. I’ve also said that what he did was wrong and inexcusable. “I’ve used the word inexcusable because that’s how I feel. It can be inexcusable and yet not be subject to a …

The Hill reports: Speaking with Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Kinzinger was asked for his thoughts on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) recent meeting with Trump. Todd noted that Trump appeared to be eager to share a photo from that meeting and wondered if the party was rejoining Trump after distancing from him following the Jan. 6 Capitol …

Politico reports: Former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial will be conducted on the Senate floor, live on TV. The Senate investigation into Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley will take place behind closed doors by one of the most secretive committees in Congress. After multiple leading Democrats called for the two Republicans to resign, Cruz and Hawley’s challenge to President …

The Hill reports: The South Carolina Republican Party voted to censure Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.) for his vote earlier this month to impeach former President Donald Trump in a rare rebuke of one of the party’s own lawmakers. The censure formally condemns Rice for his surprise vote to impeach Trump over his role in inciting the violent mob that attacked …

Via email from right wing columnist Erick Erickson: Today, I learn the congresswoman from Georgia who replaces Cynthia McKinney as Georgia’s in-house antisemite believes the Jews have an orbital space laser that started wild fires in California to clear a path for a high speed rail system. Marjorie Taylor Greene also believes or believed that the Newtown, CT and Parkland, …

The Arizona Republic reports: The Arizona Republican Party is rebuffing demands from some of its activists to audit the procedures and results of its own election for chair and other positions, according to an email sent Thursday night to party members. During a radio interview Friday with KFYI’s “The Conservative Circus With James T. Harris,” Kelli Ward, who was reelected …

My Central Jersey reports: A former Republican mayoral candidate has been charged with voting twice in the November election by using two different names. Frederick Gattuso, 43, was arrested without incident and charged with one count of third-degree fraudulent voting, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone announced Thursday. Gattuso was charged after an investigation by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office determined …

Pittsburgh’s ABC News affiliate reports: A criminal complaint alleges a South Park man submitted a mail-in ballot for November’s election in the name of his wife who had died seven years earlier. Allegheny County police said they learned of the crime while investigating an allegation of voter fraud in which Judy C. Presto had voted in the November election, despite …

Click Orlando reports: Florida’s minimum wage is set to hit $15 per hour by 2026, but not everyone in the state will see that money if one Republican state senator gets his way. Sen. Jeff Brandes, of St. Petersburg, filed a proposed amendment to Florida’s constitution on Wednesday. The proposal from Brandes, who serves as chair of the Judiciary Committee, …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: Faced with mounting evidence that sea level rise and intensifying storms will cost Florida governments billions into the future, Gov. Ron DeSantis this week announced a $1 billion investment over four years to allow local governments to build new infrastructure to address the impacts. If the Legislature approves the new program, “Resilient Florida” will use …